Defenders of the Force, Episode 4: Face of the Revolutionaries
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: Two days after the attack on the Jedi Temple, Owen Skywalker is kidnapped, which might lead to answers about the Revolutionaries, or to more Fourth story in a series featuring Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, the droids, and OCs. Episode complete.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Nope, I still don't own Star Wars, which is why you're reading this on FFN instead of watching it on TV. ;) I'd like to thank everyone who's been following this series.

"Defenders of the Force, Episode 4: Face of the Revolutionaries"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 1

After the ghosts vanished, the real world returned.

It had been two days since the bomb attack on the Jedi Temple and ever since then the Skywalkers and the Solos had been swamped by what seemed like all the journalists and politicians in the galaxy, granting them almost no privacy. Even the children were bombarded with requests for interviews, which meant Mae and Anakin weren't able to visit Tamyra in the temple's healing ward until after class on the second day.

They had been hoping to talk to their friend in peace, but when they got to the ward they found a Mirialan man with black hair cropped short and curved tattoos on either side of his mouth hovering over her bed who didn't look too happy.

"I'm _not_ leaving!" Tamyra was saying.

The man gave a heavy sigh. "Sweetheart, look what _happened _to you. Next time it could be even _worse."_

"I'm willing to risk that," said Tamyra, "and you should too. I'm a _Jedi,_ after all."

"You're also my _daughter_," the man said firmly. "Your mother and I have talked about this and we decided it was best for you to come home as soon as you're better."

"You can't take her away!" Anakin suddenly exclaimed.

"Anakin!" Mae hissed.

Tamyra breathed with relief. "Hi guys!" she said, giving a slight wave with her good arm in the direction of their voices. "Dad, these are my friends, Mae and Anakin. Mae, Anakin, this is my dad, Laron Offee."

The man nodded at the cousins, but it wasn't exactly a friendly nod. "Nice to meet you. My daughter's told me a lot about you."

Anakin raised his brow at him. "Well, she's told us you're Barriss Offee's little brother and you never told her about what your sister did."

Laron sighed, sitting on the edge of his daughter's bed. "Look, I was a little kid when it happened. I never knew my sister - like all Force-sensitive babies, she got taken away and we could never see her." He sighed again. "I doubt she ever knew she even _had _a little brother."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell Tamyra," said Mae.

"I hardly even _remember_ it," said Laron. "I sort of remember seeing my sister's confession on the holovid, but mostly I remember my parents being all upset about it." He looked over at his daughter. "Barriss is dead anyway, so I thought why should I tarnish her image for my daughter?"

"I could have handled it," said Tamyra, shifting her position but then cringing from the pain. "Look at my friends - they're _Darth Vader's _grandchildren and they're doing fine."

"Yes I know," said Laron, looking up at Mae and Anakin, "but all this is beside the point."

"I'm still not leaving," Tamyra said quickly.

"Yeah, she's not!" said Anakin.

Mae quickly stepped in front of her cousin. "Mr. Offee, _our _parents are keeping us in school . . ."

"Of course _your_ parents would," Laron interrupted. "Your family _runs _the school. Besides, you two can see. Tamyra can't."

"So _that's _it?" Tamyra exclaimed, briefly attempting to sit up but finding she couldn't. "You think I can't defend myself because I'm _blind?"_

Laron twisted his mouth into an awkward expression. "No sweetheart, of course not . . ."

"The Force _helps _me with my blindness," Tamyra interrupted in a passionate voice. "You _know_ that. I can already sense living things when they're nearby. Master Skywalker even told me that if I train hard enough, someday I might not even need a sensor anymore."

"Well you need a new one now," said Laron.

"Don't you and Mom _want _me to be independent?" Tamyra pressed.

"Of course, sweetheart, but we also want you to be _safe."_

_"No one_ is safe right now," said Mae. "I think you know that."

Laron's brow furrowed. "Listen, young lady, you may be Skywalker's daughter, but you're not in charge of what happens to Tamyra. I would appreciate it if you respect that."

"Dad," Tamyra said in an annoyed voice, "could you maybe leave us alone for a while so I can talk to my friends?"

Laron sighed yet again as he stood up, his eyes darting among the three teenagers. "Fine," he said. He leaned over to kiss his daughter's forehead. "I'll be back soon, honey." He waited for a response, but when it was clear that one wasn't coming, he turned and left the room, nearly bumping into a medical droid as he did so.

Once he was gone Tamyra let out a long exhale. "I'm sorry, that's my dad for you."

"He's not _really _gonna take you out of school, is he?" asked Anakin.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Tamyra. "I'd rather hear about the _ghosts."_ She gave a tiny grin. "Come on, tell me everything."

. . .

Mae and Anakin chatted with Tamyra until she fell asleep and the medical droids urged them to leave. After they got shooed out, Anakin went to look for his siblings while Mae went to look for her parents. After wandering the halls for a while, she found her father in the spot she didn't want to go near - the place where the bomb went off.

It used to be a meditation room, but most of it was gone now. The floor was now little more than a large hole that spread into the hall. The walls had cracked and crumbled and the tall window had shattered, letting in cold air and the noise of speeders from the outside. Several small droids were flying around the room, inspecting every detail for any clues.

"Come on, there has to be _something,_" Luke was telling the droids from outside the barrier that was set up next to the hole in the floor.

"Hey Dad," Mae said from behind her father.

Luke turned around to face her. He had dark circles under his eyes and a weary expression on his face. "Hi honey," he said. "Did you go visit your friend?"

"Yeah," Mae said with a sigh. "I guess you know her mom and dad want to take her out of school?"

"Yes," said Luke.

"Are you gonna _let_ them?"

Luke gazed over at the bomb site. "Mae, they have a right to take her out of school, you know that."

"Yeah, but . . ."

"You can still keep in touch with her," Luke continued.

Mae looked over at the droids. "Dad, do you think I'm trained enough to _feel _when something's not right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, I just kinda _feel _like Tamyra shouldn't be taken out." She shifted her weight from one foot to another, her stomach feeling tight. "I think she's _meant _to be a Jedi."

Luke gave a small smile. "Sensing things through the Force comes from inside yourself, not from training." His eyes flicked back and forth between his daughter and the droids. "But you have to be careful when you sense these things. The future is always changing - what's meant to be one day might not stay the same way tomorrow."

"Do you think _this _was meant to be?" Mae asked, gesturing towards the bomb site.

Luke put his real hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I don't think that's for us to judge, sweetheart."

Just then Luke's comlink beeped. After taking another look at the bomb site, he flicked his comlink off his belt and answered it. "Hello?"

"Luke!" came Rianna's scratchy voice.

"Honey, what is it?"

"Did you pick Owen up from school?" Rianna said in a panicked voice.

"I thought you were doing that."

"I am," said Rianna, "but I can't _find_ him!"

"What?" Luke and Mae exclaimed together.

"No one's seen him since class ended," Rianna continued. "I've looked all over the school and I can't find him. I don't think he's here."

. . .

Mae couldn't speak after her mother said Owen was missing. She heard Luke tell Rianna not to panic even though he was struggling not to panic himself, she watched him comm the Solos and tell them what happened, she saw him rush away from the bomb site, but she couldn't bring herself to follow him. Her insides were numb, her breath uneven.

_Use the Force, _she tried to tell herself, but her lungs were too tight to breathe steadily and her head was whirling too much to concentrate. Owen was fine, right? He was probably just hiding somewhere to play a not-too-nice prank, right? But then again, if he hid anywhere in or near the school, wouldn't Rianna be able to seek him out with the Force?

She started walking without being aware she was doing so, her heart hammering against her ribs. _Use the Force. _What was the point of repeating that to herself when she had only started her training?

Her pace quickened, her footsteps echoing against the walls, though she still had no destination in mind. _Dammit, what are you doing, Mae?_ _Your brother's missing, for the Force's sake!_

She wanted to talk to someone. Her parents, her cousins, her aunt and uncle, _someone._

Then without knowing how she got there, she found herself at the door to the healing ward. Once she realized where she was, she slammed her hand on the button to open the door and rushed up to Tamyra's bed, ignoring the medical droids telling her visiting hours were over.

"Tamyra, WAKE UP!" she cried.

The Mirialan's eyes opened only slightly. "Wha?"

Mae wasn't going to wait until she was completely awake. "Tamyra, Owen's gone!"

. . .

Owen awoke feeling dizzy. He couldn't remember what happened . . . only that he was talking to a security droid at school and then . . . nothing. After breathing for a few moments to gain his bearings, he realized that something warm and tough was squeezing him under his armpits and knees - he was being carried . . . carried by something that smelled dusty. He moaned and twitched his head, which made the throbbing in his skull worsen.

"Waking up, hon?" said an unfamiliar female voice that was dripping with sweetness.

Owen's eyelids felt glued shut. "Wh-what happened?" he choked out in a raspy voice. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry," the syrupy voice continued, "it's just a little drug. If you cooperate you'll be out of here in no time."

Finally Owen was able to open his eyes and realize he was being lowered into a bed by a middle-aged human woman with long black hair, pale skin, and full lips that were curled up in a large smile. She wore a white coat that drew up tight around her neck.

"There you are," the woman said as she fastened Owen's hands into some sort of binders. "You're going to be a good boy, right?"

The lights on the ceiling glared into the child's face, making him squint. "Y-you . . . you know you're not gonna get away with this, right?"

"Whyever not?" the woman asked in an unconcerned voice.

"You know who my mom and dad are?"

The woman smiled down at him as she fastened his feet into binders as well. "Of course, sweetie. That's why we chose you."

"_Chose _me?" Owen exclaimed. "Chose me for _what?_"

"Just a little experiment."

Owen turned his head to the side, seeing that the room he was in was very small, hardly big enough for the bed. What little space the wall had was taken up by shelves of various machinery and cupboards that might have contained any number of horrors. "W-well . . . my mom and dad and everyone else are gonna come rescue me and kick your butt!"

The woman gave a snicker. "Come come, Owen, you have nothing to fear. Like I said, if you behave you'll be out of here before you know it."

Owen grunted loudly, thrusting his body back and forth, but the binders held him fast. "Who are you?" he said between grunts.

The woman smiled again. "You may call me Lee. I'm a scientist."

_"Scientist?"_ Owen squeaked, his eyes widening. "Are there gonna be _needles?"_

"Oh, come come, dear," said Lee, clapping her fingertips together. "You're not afraid of a little thing like _needles,_ are you? Aren't you gonna be a big brave Jedi when you grow up?"

Owen felt tears emerging from his eyelids and creeping towards his ears. "My family's gonna rescue me," he said again, more to assure himself than to scare the scientist.

Lee shrugged. "They'll try, but they don't know where you are, do they? Now come on, the sooner we get the experiments done, the sooner you can go home."

Owen imagined a big, sharp needle going through his skin and the tears came faster. His hands trembled in their binders and his heartbeat quickened. "Why're you doing this?" he whimpered. "What's this about?"

Lee maintained her overly-sweet smile. "The thing that makes you different from us," she replied. "Your midichlorians."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm REALLY sorry it took me so long to get this up - my internet connection was down for more than a week. However, I've already gotten substantial work on Chapter 3 done, so my next update should be quicker.

"Defenders of the Force Episode 4: Face of the Revolutionaries"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 2

"You're quite special, Owen." Lee swayed from side to side as she spoke. "Most Jedi trainees don't have the Force passed through their genes like you do. Some of them like your cousins might have _one_ Force-sensitive parent, but you have _two._" Her smile grew wider, showing her white teeth. "Not to mention that you're the descendent of _Anakin Skywalker_. Owen, did you know he didn't have any father?"

"Yeah," Owen groaned. "What about that?"

Lee giggled as if she were about to tell a dirty joke. "Well, ah, do you know how the father . . . _helps_ the mother get pregnant, let's say?"

Owen rolled his eyes. "I _know _how babies get made, okay? The mom and dad . . ."

"O-kay!" Lee interrupted. "So you must know how amazing it is that your grandfather didn't have a dad, right? He was conceived by the _midichlorians themselves_."

"Or Palpatine," Owen muttered.

Lee ignored him. "Now of course your sister has all this in her genes too, but she's already started her Jedi training. _Your _Force talent, on the other hand, is still raw and malleable."

Owen wasn't sure what "malleable" meant, but he didn't like the sound of it. "What're you gonna do to me?" he whimpered, gulping when he noticed the scientist sterilizing a long needle.

Lee gave her obnoxiously sweet smile. "Well, we're gonna start with a little blood test. With your blood we can see how high your midichlorian concentration is."

"Then what?" Owen asked between swallows, unable to take his eyes off the needle, his forehead sweating.

"You'll see," said Lee.

Owen's eyes squeezed shut as the needle's point neared his arm.

. . .

With the kidnapping of Luke Skywalker's son, suddenly all of Coruscant was on high alert. Less than an hour after Owen went missing, broadcasts went out, interviews were given, and search parties were sent out both on-planet and off. The Skywalker and Solo adults went off to lead the search parties, leaving their children at Luke's apartment in the care of Chewie, with 3PO and R2 assisting him. Not because the teenagers needed a babysitter, the adults had said, but because they wanted to make sure no one went off on their own rescue mission.

They ate their supper in the living room, gathered in front of the holovid, watching for any news about Owen. Mae, Anakin, and Jacen were on the floor and Jaina and Chewie were on the sofa. 3PO and R2 stood to the side, also watching for news. If droids could breathe, they might have been holding their breaths.

"Poor Master Owen," 3PO was saying. "He must be terribly frightened."

R2 beeped in agreement.

Meanwhile Jaina was slouching on the couch with her arms folded. "This is _stupid._ There's no reason we can't help out."

"You heard Mom and Dad," said Jacen. "They don't want to worry about us."

"Well that's _stupid,_" said Jaina. "I'm the top of the class in Lightsaber Training - I should be able to help. It's not like we're little kids anymore."

Chewie roared at them and 3PO translated it as, "Chewbacca says for you to stop the complaining. Your parents simply want you to be safe."

"Like how Tamyra's dad wants _her _to be safe?" Anakin muttered.

Mae swallowed, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Look guys, they don't want anything to happen to us, okay? It's bad enough that Owen's missing - how do you think they'd feel if we went missing too?" She went back to staring at the holovid, where Leia was currently giving an interview.

"My nephew _will_ be found," she was saying in a voice that sounded more confident than she probably felt.

"President Organa Solo," a reporter asked, "what do you have to say about your brother's inability to prevent these attacks?"

Leia's brow furrowed. "I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my brother when his son is missing."

"But your brother _hasn't _been able to prevent these attacks," the reporter persisted. "He assured us that the Jedi Temple was safe from the Revolutionaries, but then the bomb attack happened, and now _this._ President Organa Solo, you can't deny that your brother's security has failed."

"The Revolutionaries have proven themselves more crafty than we thought," Leia said firmly. "At first we thought they were just a small group trying to scare people, but now they will be considered an enemy of the New Republic. Until Owen is located, no unauthorized ships will be allowed to leave Coruscant. Our search parties will scan the entire galaxy if they have to, but my nephew _will be found."_

. . .

It was late into the night and the adults still hadn't returned. After several hours of interviews with politicians making her brother's kidnapping into a political affair and criticizing her father for not preventing this, Mae decided she'd had enough and retreated to her bedroom. Now she sat cross-legged on her bed, trying to meditate, hoping she might receive some sort of clue about where her brother was.

_Owen, where are you? _She pressed her brother's image into her mind - his brown hair, his mischievous smile, his high voice. _Come on Force, give me a sign._ She breathed in, out, in, out, letting her stomach expand and contract like her father taught her, but still nothing came.

She was probably doing it wrong. After all, when the family meditated together or when they meditated in Luke's class, it was about relaxing and letting thoughts come to them, not about trying to have visions.

_Owen! Come on, if we're connected through the Force, show me where you are. _Why was she even doing this? It wasn't like she was a trained Jedi Knight.

Then the comm beeped.

Mae groaned as her eyes popped open. She considered not answering it, but then she thought that it might be her parents, so she reached over and pushed the button to answer.

The hologram that emerged wasn't Luke or Rianna, but a hooded figure Mae instantly recognized. She didn't know this Revolutionary's name, but she had seen him before when he called her not long ago.

"YOU?" Mae shouted.

A hint of a smile was visible under the figure's hood. "Hello Mae, I see you remember me."

Mae picked up the comm and shook it as if that would hurt the person on the other end. "All right, where's my brother?"

The hologram shrugged. "What makes you think we have him?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Mae snarled. "Owen goes missing two days after you blow up the temple's meditation room . . ."

"What makes you think we did _that?"_ the figure interrupted.

"Of _course_ you did that!" said Mae. "Now tell me where my brother is or I'll tell my mom and dad you've been calling me!"

"Go ahead," said the figure. "That's some pretty weak leverage you have there."

"I'm hanging up," said Mae.

"Fine," said the hologram. "I _was_ going to take you to your brother, but if you don't want me to . . ."

Mae's face reddened. "What?"

"You heard me," said the hologram. "I'll take you to your brother if you _want _me to."

Mae's eyebrow went up. "Where is he?" she asked cautiously.

The figure shook his head slightly, looking again like he was grinning under his hood. "Can't tell," he said in an almost teasing voice. "But if you want to go to him, my speeder's parked right outside your window." He tilted his head. "However, if you tell Mommy and Daddy or anyone else, I'll fly off."

Mae's eyes flicked upward and she gulped. There _was _a speeder hovering right outside her window, driven by a hooded figure who looked exactly like the hologram.

"So what'll it be?" the mystery person asked.

Mae gulped again, her focus shifting from the speeder to the comm and back again. "This is a trap, isn't it?"

The figure shrugged. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but look at it this way. Your family has an entire galaxy to search for your brother. Meanwhile, I'm offering to take you right to him."

Mae's eyes kept flicking back and forth. "Can I at least leave my parents a message?"

The hologram looked like he was sighing. "Fine, but make it short."

Mae hung up the instant he finished his sentence. After glancing again at the speeder, she took a deep breath and pressed the recording button.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad," she said awkwardly. "Uh . . . a Revolutionary contacted me and he said he can take me to Owen. So . . . if I'm not back soon, that means it was a trap and you'd better try to find me. Um, I love you, bye."

Her face started heating up before she finished recording, but at least she was leaving _something _behind. Luke and Rianna would most likely kill her when they found out, but if she was able to bring Owen back they might not kill her _quite _as hard.

The Revolutionary tapped at the window with a long fingernail. It was a gentle tap, yet urgent at the same time. After a deep breath, Mae put down the comm and made her way to the window, praying that she wasn't making a mistake.

The wind whipped through her hair once she opened the window, where the speeder hovered just a few inches away. The hooded driver patted the seat beside him as if inviting her on a friendly ride.

"Come on," he said.

With another deep breath, Mae jumped into the seat.

No sooner was she fastened in than the figure held up a blindfold. "Here," he said. "You'll need to wear this."

Mae scrunched her face at the cloth dangling from his fingers. "Why?"

"I'll make this simple," said the figure. "Either you wear it or I don't take you to your brother."

Mae groaned. "Fine."

She allowed the Revolutionary to tie the cloth around her eyes, knotting it tightly behind her head, shrouding her in darkness. Whatever fabric the blindfold was made of, it didn't let in any light.

"Take it off and I take you home," the Revolutionary ordered, and then the speeder started.

. . .

Mae tried to keep track of approximately where the speeder went, but they turned this way and that so many times that it robbed her of any sense of direction. The roaring of other speeders, the chatter of drivers, the music from buildings, and all the other city sounds merged themselves into a single noise, giving Mae no points of reference. After what she estimated was around fifteen minutes, the speeder docked, but her driver still wouldn't let her take the blindfold off. He took her hand and led her out of the speeder and up a ramp.

The stranger's grip was firm but not harsh. Mae got the feeling that he would let her take the blindfold off and walk away if she tried, but if she did so he wouldn't take her to Owen, so she remained passive, though she still hoped her Jedi reflexes would let her make a quick escape if it were necessary.

Their footsteps echoed around her, informing her that they were in some narrow enclosure that smelled dusty, possibly a starship. Did that mean Owen was off-planet, then? How far away were they going?

"Sit," the stranger ordered.

Mae obeyed, but only after using her free hand to feel behind her and make sure there was a seat. Once she was seated, she felt a safety restraint being pulled across her lap.

_Stay calm._ She took several deep breaths as the floor vibrated beneath her. _Stay calm._

After several minutes, the force of a hyperspace jump thrust her against her seat, causing her breath to jump with it. _Stay calm._

"You can take the blindfold off now."

Immediately Mae ripped the blindfold off and threw it aside, then she was greeted to the view of the galaxy streaking by in front of her. She turned to the side and was unable to suppress a tiny gasp when she saw that her companion had his hood off.

He was a human who looked around eighteen or nineteen years old, with red hair cropped at his ears and clusters of freckles on his cheeks. He was staring ahead at the streaks of hyperspace with an intense expression.

"My aunt said no unauthorized ships were allowed to leave the planet," said Mae.

"Yes," said the stranger, not looking at her. "The key word there would be _unauthorized."_

Mae's stomach jumped. "You _stole_ a government ship?"

"Borrowed."

Mae swallowed as she looked through the viewport, wondering what else the Revolutionaries managed to steal.

"So . . ." she said after a few minutes, ". . . what's your story?"

"Story?" the stranger said, still staring ahead at the endless streaks.

"Yeah," said Mae. "You've gotta have some story to join a terrorist group, right? Like, were your parents killed by Jedi or something?"

He gave a small snicker. "Well, some of us _have _lost loved ones to the Jedi, but for your information _my _parents are alive and well."

"Well then why did you join?"

"Why do I have to tell you? It's not too late to take you back, you know."

Mae folded her arms. "Can I at _least _know your name?"

The stranger twisted his mouth. "It's Chon."

"Chon," Mae repeated. "Is there a last name that goes with that?"

Chon was silent.

"Okay, okay," said Mae. "I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, you seem like an okay guy, so why would you join a terrorist group?"

Chon shrugged. "You seem like a pretty nice girl, so why would you join the Jedi?"

Mae groaned. "You're _seriously _comparing the Jedi to a group that blows up buildings and kidnaps kids?"

Chon shrugged again. "Once again, you point fingers without questioning your own morals."

"My family has good morals," said Mae.

"_Do _they?" turning to look at Mae for the first time. "Need I remind you who your _grandfather _was?"

Mae's fingers were clenching. "My _grandfather _was a great person before the dark side took him."

"You say that so nonchalantly," said Chon. "As if turning to the dark side doesn't matter." He went back to looking out the viewport. "Mae, do you know how to do a Jedi mind trick?"

"No, not yet."

He smirked. "Well, if you could do one, do you think it would work on me?"

Mae raised her brows. "I dunno. Dad says they only work on the weak-minded, and you must be pretty smart to steal this ship and all, so I guess not."

"What if it did?" Chon continued. "What if you knew how to perform a mind trick and you were able to do it to me? What if all it took was a wave of the hand for me to return your brother and tell you everything you needed to know about the Revolutionaries?" He looked back at her. "Would you do it then?"

"I don't know what you're getting at."

Chon's fingers brushed his seat's arm. "Do you really see _nothing _wrong with taking advantage of those who happen to be born with less intelligence than some?"

"A Jedi mind trick isn't _permanent."_

"So?" said Chon. "Suppose the tables were turned and I had the power to wave my hand and make _you_ do my bidding?"

Mae's jaw dropped. "Are you calling _me_ weak-minded?"

"We're imagining here," said Chon, now leaning on the arm. "Let's imagine that you _are _weak-minded enough to be controlled by a mind trick and I've got the power to perform one on you. Would you say it was okay for me to do it?"

Mae swallowed, suddenly finding the streaks outside quite interesting. "Look, it's not like the Jedi perform mind tricks for fun. They only do it when they _have _to."

"So you have no problem with the Jedi having the power to manipulate people's minds?"

Mae was silent. She remembered her father's story of his first encounter with a mind trick, how amazed he was that Obi-Wan could fool the stormtroopers into letting them pass. Did he ever question the morality of it all?

"And what about the Force choke?" Chon snorted. "_That _never gets misused, right?"

"Jedi almost never use the Force choke," Mae said without looking at him.

"The key word there would be _almost."_

The young Jedi groaned, slamming her back against her seat. "You've got a _lot _of nerve, you know that? _You_ guys blew a kid's legs off and injured five others - one of them was my friend Tamyra, by the way - but you've got the _gall _to lecture _me_ about morals?"

Chon gave yet another shrug, turning back to the streaks outside. "No matter. You'll see reason soon enough."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks for reviewing!

"Defenders of the Force Episode 4: Face of the Revolutionaries"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 3

"My troops haven't found any trace of Owen, but they'll keep looking," said Lando's hologram.

Luke sighed, drumming his artificial fingers on the table. "All right, just keep it up."

"How's the search for clues goin'?" Lando asked.

Luke sighed again, giving long blinks. "Not good. The last thing the security cameras show is Owen talking to a security droid and then they go blank."

Lando twisted his mouth. "Well can't you use your Jedi magic or something to find out where he is?"

"It's _not_ magic!" Luke said. "And for your information, I _have _been trying to locate him through the Force but it's not showing me anything!"

Lando showed his palms. "Okay, okay, I get it. Your son's missing, you're under a lotta stress, I get it. Don't worry, we're gonna keep looking."

"Thank you."

Once Lando hung up, Luke leaned against the teacher's desk, burying his face in his hands, peeking through the gaps between his fingers. The darkened classroom of Owen's school was beginning to feel like a tomb. He had thought this would be a good place to seek Owen out with the Force, but all he could feel here was his son's absence. The small desks reminded him that Owen wasn't sitting at them. The hooks in the back wall reminded him that Owen's bag wasn't hung there. The city light pouring through the window reminded him that Owen was lost, perhaps somewhere in the city or perhaps somewhere in the stars.

"Hey kid, how're you doin'?"

Luke lifted his head out of his hands, seeing that Han was standing next to the desk. "Well how do you _think_ I'm doing?"

Han licked his lips. "So, no sign of him?"

The Jedi exhaled through his teeth. "If I _did _get a sign, don't you think I'd have _told you_ by now?"

Han quickly raised his hands, showing his palms, mirroring Lando's apologetic gesture from a few minutes ago. "All right, all right, I'm sorry."

Luke took a deep breath, letting out a slow exhale. "No, it's all right. I'm just . . . worried, that's all."

Han put his hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder. "Hey, I know you're stressed, but maybe you should head home and get some sleep."

"I'll sleep when Owen's found," said Luke, gazing down at the desk.

"Hey kid, I understand bein' worried and all, but you gotta take care of yourself too."

"Han . . . why do you think they wanted him?"

Han pondered for a moment before speaking. "Well . . . I dunno, I'd say ransom, but we haven't gotten any notes. Maybe they're just doin' this to show they _can._ Ya know, a display of power." He yawned. "Scuse me, it's been a long night."

"Maybe _you _should go home and get some sleep," said Luke.

Han yawned again. "Tempting, but no. Sides, what kinda husbands would we be if we just left our wives to do all the work while we went to sleep?"

Despite the situation, Luke managed a tiny grin. "We'd be typical husbands, but our wives wouldn't like it." His face grew serious again. "But Han . . . what do you think they're doing to him?"

"I don't have an answer _there_ either, kid," said Han. "Could be tryin' to get him to join 'em or something."

"He's _ten!"_ Luke exclaimed. "Why would they want a _child _to join them?"

Han shrugged. "Been known to happen sometimes. Like Boba Fett - _he _started when he was about Owen's age."

"Owen's _not _going to become a terrorist!" shouted Luke.

"DIdn't say he would," Han said in a significantly lower voice.

They were silent for several minutes after that, until Han gave an awkward swallow. "Well . . . guess I'll go check on the police droids. You go back to your meditation or whatever you're doing."

After Han left, Luke stared out into the empty classroom, wishing he could hug his daughter, wishing his wife weren't back at the Jedi Temple trying to calm the press, wishing he would wake up from this nightmare. His mind drifted to what the police droids' investigation had revealed so far, or rather, what it _hadn't _revealed.

Not only was there nothing on the security cameras, but there had been absolutely no signs of any intruders. No suspicious characters had been seen and there were no fingerprints, footprints, or DNA traces of anyone who shouldn't be at the school.

Luke gulped. Of course, whoever kidnapped Owen could have taken extra care to leave nothing behind, but that wasn't as likely as the other possibility entering his head, the one that carried truly frightening implications.

The Revelutionaries were infiltrators.

. . .

"Fascinating," Lee was muttering as she gazed at the holographic scan of Owen's brain. "Owen darling, be a dear and lift that stone one more time."

"I'm _sick _of lifting stones!" shouted Owen. "Don't you have enough brain data by now?"

"Come on Owen," Lee said in her singsong voice, "don't you want to be a good boy so you can go home? Now come on, give me one more little lift."

After a growl, Owen reached out with the Force and lifted the small stone Lee had placed on his stomach. It was the only Force skill he knew, so Lee had been making him do it over and over again while she scanned his brain. Owen didn't see what brain activity had to do with using the Force, but apparently his brain did something interesting when he picked up the stone.

"All right, that's enough," said Lee, turning off the scanner while Owen let the stone drop. "Now sweetie, I'm afraid you'll have to go to sleep for this next experiment."

"What?" Owen exclaimed.

"You heard me," said Lee. "Don't worry, it won't hurt."

Before Owen could protest any further, Lee sprayed gas into his face, instantly putting him to sleep.

. . .

As the stolen ship zipped through hyperspace, Mae tried to meditate and see if she could find out what was happening to Owen, but she ended up falling asleep instead. She woke to complete darkness, which was briefly disorienting, but then she felt her eyes and realized Chon had put the blindfold back on her.

"Have a nice nap?" she heard him say.

Mae didn't answer, but her face flushed.

"At first I thought you were in one of those Jedi trances," Chon continued, "but then the snoring told me otherwise."

Mae's face flushed harder.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed," Chon said in a gentle voice. "You snore rather cute."

Suddenly Mae wished she could jump out of the ship and get as far away from him as possible, or at least erase his memory of the time she'd been asleep.

"Well anyway, it's good you had your rest," continued Chon, "cause we'll be landing soon."

"Any chance that you'll tell me where we're landing?"

"I think you know the answer to that question."

Mae folded her arms and sank down in her seat, stifling a yawn, trying again to reach out to her brother but still unable to feel him.

. . .

Chon didn't remove the blindfold when the ship landed, as he led Mae off the ship, or as he led her down a long hallway of . . .somewhere. She could tell it was a hallway because she heard their footsteps echoing against the walls, but as far as where it was taking them she couldn't tell. Maybe she was doing it wrong, but her attempts at seeking Owen out with the Force were still revealing nothing.

"We're almost there," Chon whispered.

Mae gulped and held her breath. _Owen, I'm coming for you. Don't be afraid, I'm coming. _

Finally Chon removed the blindfold, revealing that they were in a small hospital-like room, where Owen lay lifeless on the bed, his hands and feet in restraints

"OWEN!" Mae screamed, rushing up to her brother and scooping him into her arms. "Owen, Owen, wake up, wake up."

"Oh, he's all right, he's only sedated."

The voice wasn't Chon's. Mae sucked in a breath as she slowly looked up. There stood a woman in a white coat next to Chon, swaying back and forth as if she'd been expecting them.

"Hello Mae," the woman said with an obnoxious grin. "So lovely of you to join us."

"YOU!" Mae shouted, snapping her glare to Chon. "This was a trap all along, wasn't it?"

"Mae, just hear her out," said Chon, his face expressionless, his voice toneless. "You'll get to take your brother home soon, I promise."

Mae wished she had a lightsaber or some other means of defending herself. The only way out was through the single door that Chon and the woman were blocking. Maybe she'd be able to push through them if she took them by surprise, but she couldn't leave without Owen.

"I'm Lee," said the woman, smiling at Mae as if this were some happy meeting. "It's so nice to meet you, Mae Skywalker. No doubt you have many questions."

Mae's eyes were scanning the shelves, trying to find something she could throw with the Force. "Yeah, I've got questions. First, what the hell do you want with my brother? Second, what the hell do you guys have against the Jedi? Third, why the hell did you bring me here?"

Lee's smile grew wider, making her look almost possessed. "Great! Our leader will be happy to answer your questions. Come with us."

Mae squeezed her brother tighter. "I'm not going anywhere without Owen."

Lee gave an exaggerated sigh, blowing a hair out of her face. "Oh all right, but you'll have to carry him."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Mae.

. . .

To Mae's surprise, she wasn't blindfolded as Lee and Chon led her down the long series of darkened hallways with Owen in her arms, not that there was much to see anyway, only endless corridors lit only by tiny lights in the ceiling. Mae guessed they were underground since there were no windows, but of course she couldn't say anything for certain.

Owen still showed no signs of awareness. His head pressed down on her shoulder and his weight was straining her arms, but she kept up pace with Lee and Chon, grinding her teeth, always ready to flee if it became necessary, though she wasn't sure how to get back to the ship.

"It's all right, Owen," she whispered. "I'm here, I'll protect you."

Finally the two Revolutionaries led Mae into a large, circular room where the walls were lined with shelves of glowing cubes. Though she had been trying to keep quiet for her brother's sake, Mae couldn't help gasping.

"Are those Jedi holocrons?" she exclaimed.

"Perhaps," said Chon. "What does it matter to you?"

"It matters if you stole them from the Jedi!" Mae snapped. "Besides, they're no use to you - you need the Force to open them!"

"Force, Force, Force," said Lee. "What makes you so sure that we _can't _open them without the Force?"

Mae couldn't say she was an expert on holocron technology, but before she could come up with a response, she heard a low, accented female voice coming from the wall, speaking in an almost mocking tone.

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is only the Force."

The voice belonged to a figure clad entirely in black, complete with a black veil covering her face. Mae couldn't help but shudder.

"Yes, I know the old Jedi code, Mae Skywalker," said the figure, gliding up to Mae and squeezing her chin with a gloved hand. "My, aren't you a pretty one."

"My lady," Lee and Chon said together, bowing in unison.

Mae swallowed. "So . . . you're in charge of the Revolutionaries?"

"What insight," said the figure.

Mae squeezed her brother tighter. "Well, why did you bring us here? What do you want with us?"

The figure took a few steps back and sat in a chair in the center of the room. "You are Luke Skywalker's children - why _wouldn't _I want you?"

Mae took a deep breath, wondering if she could knock anyone out with a holocron if she used the Force to move it. "Don't give me that. You want us for _something, _not just so you can say you kidnapped Luke Skywalker's kids._"_

The leader folded her hands in a delicate manner. "Yes indeed, you're a smart one."

"Well you're _not _getting it."

The shape of a smirk seemed to appear under the veil. "But Mae, I already _got _what I wanted from your brother."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for reviewing! Sorry about the long gap between updates - now that school's started again this teacher is working her butt off, and between that and computer trouble there's little time to write.

"Defenders of the Force Episode 4: Face of the Revolutionaries"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 4

Mae squeezed her brother as tightly as she could. "What . . . what do you mean?"

The leader merely shrugged. "What makes you think I'll tell you?"

Mae's breath was increasing its pace despite attempts to calm herself with the Force. "Why are you _doing _this?" she exclaimed. "What did the Jedi ever do to you?"

The leader slowly drummed her fingers on her knee. "It's not about what they did to _us _personally. The Jedi failed the entire galaxy."

"That was the _old_ Jedi Order," Mae protested. "My dad . . ."

"Yes I know," the leader interrupted. "Your father _fixed _all the mistakes of the old Order, of course he did. After all, he was _around _when the old Order was in power, right?"

Before Mae could come up with a response, her brother groaned, which took all of her attention. "Owen, Owen, are you all right?" she breathed.

"M-M-Mae?" Owen coughed.

"Yes Owen, I'm here."

"Wh-where are we?"

"In trouble."

The leader gave a slight laugh. "You consider this _trouble, _young Jedi? I only wish to speak to you."

Mae flashed a glare at Chon. "Yeah, well I've been _spoken to _more than enough, thank you very much."

Owen pointed at the leader. "Your scientist lady s_tuck stuff _in me!"

The leader snickered as she placed her hands on the chair's arms. "It was for your own good, young man. Something big is coming, something beyond your imagination."

Mae slowly turned her head to whisper in her brother's ear. "Owen, when I say now, it's time to run."

"Think about your grandfather," the leader said in a harsher voice. "I ask you, would he have been capable of such atrocities if the Jedi had never trained him to use his powers?"

"The Jedi taught him to _resist _the dark side," Mae retorted, her eyes darting around the holocrons as she gently lowered Owen to his feet.

"Until he found it too hard to follow their restrictions," said the leader, stroking the chair arm. "The Jedi trained him to use his powers and then they fueled his reason to use his skills against them."

Mae squeezed her brother's hand.

"And who suffered from that?" the leader continued. "Everyone else. How long before someone _else_ does the same thing?"

"You don't know that'll happen," Mae said softly.

The leader continued as if Mae hadn't spoken. "The fact is that _no one_ knows what to do with Force-sensitives, not even the Jedi. The Jedi thought they could _control _Force-sensitives and their power, but what resulted from that? A power they could _not _control."

"Look, I _know _the old Order had some problems," said Mae, "but again, you're talking about the _old _Order."

"And the new one is _so_ much better, I'm sure," said the leader. "That's how it always starts, full of hopes and dreams, but then one day you find that you're no better than the thing you're fighting against." She leaned forward, probably staring Mae in the eye through her veil. "The Jedi claimed they were pacifists, but then when the war came, who were the ones leading the armies into battle? The Jedi."

Mae took a deep breath. "Look, you can talk about the Jedi being crap all you want, but none of it excuses what you've been doing."

Owen was swaying slightly. "Mae . . . I don't feel good."

"We'll be going home soon, Owen," Mae whispered through her teeth.

"This isn't about excuses," said the leader. "This is about how the Jedi have oppressed the galaxy for generations. Under the guise of peace and justice, they seek power over everyone, both Force-sensitive and non."

"Now!" Mae suddenly hissed.

With that, she waved her arm and used the Force to knock over a row of the holocrons, and as she figured, Lee, Chon, and the leader all scrambled to catch them before they hit the floor. Distraction made, Mae ran out of the room, tugging her brother behind her.

"Where're we going?" Owen asked in a shaky voice.

"Home," Mae answered, hoping she sounded confident.

They ran back down the corridors, Owen huffing and puffing and Mae hoping she could retrace the way back to the ship. She had been blindfolded when taken from the ship to the hospital room, but she had at least some sense of what direction they were going. She squeezed her brother's hand, vowing not to let go until they were safe.

Up and down the halls, up and down, up and down, up and down, no ship. So many doors - had they gone through a door when she was blindfolded? Some of the doors had voices behind them, Revolutionaries who might open the doors and catch them.

"Come on, you two," echoed Lee's voice from somewhere behind them, "there's no need to run away."

With a gasp, Mae picked up the pace, panting, frantically trying to remember the way. She reached out with the Force, finding that nearly every room they passed contained at least one person, most of whom were sleeping, but their numbers were far greater than Mae might have expected. She suddenly felt surrounded, as if any direction would lead to an enemy.

"Oh children," called Lee, "where are you?"

"Keep up, Owen!" Mae whispered as they ran, ran, ran.

Maybe it was the Force guiding them or maybe it was sheer luck, but several minutes later Mae and Owen found the exit that led to the ship dock. The outside was dark, with fog thickening the air and making it difficult to see more than a few feet away, but fortunately the stolen government ship was the first one they ran into.

Along with Chon.

He stood in front of the ship, his hood down, his face hardly visible in the fog. Mae gulped, squeezing her brother's hand even harder, prepared to fight if she needed to. Maybe she could Force-push him if she concentrated enough, or if that didn't work, there was always a knee between the legs.

But all Chon said was, "Go!" before running off and disappearing into the fog.

Mae stared after him, her muscles tensed up, expecting him to come back, maybe with reinforcements.

"Mae, who was that?" Owen asked.

Her brother's voice snapped her back to the reality that Chon was gone and she had an opportunity to get away. "I don't really know, but come on, let's get outta here." She yanked Owen up the ramp and into the cockpit, where she stared down at the control panel.

"Do you even know _how _to fly a starship?" Owen exclaimed.

"Well . . . Uncle Han showed me the basics once."

"Did Mom and Dad let him do it?"

"I dunno, I never told them." She took a deep breath and sat down in the pilot's seat. "Come on, sit down."

After gulping, Owen eased himself into the seat where Mae had sat on the way here. "You _sure _you know what you're doing?"

"No," said Mae, "but look at it this way - either I fly this ship or we go back to the Revolutionaries. Which do you want?"

Owen groaned. "_Fine," _he said, folding his arms, "but if we die, it's your fault."

Mae took another deep breath before starting up the engine. _You can do this, Mae._ She imagined herself back in the Falcon as Han gave her a crash lesson on how to fly a starship. _You're Anakin Skywalker's descendent, it's in your genes._

With hesitant hands, she worked the controls to take off and the ship came jumping into the sky, slamming Mae's seat against her body and making Owen scream in terror. Her attempt to slow down the ship only resulted in abrupt bouncing. Bounce, bounce, bounce, every bounce tumbled around the fluids in Mae's stomach and made Owen scream louder.

"Put us into hyperspace!" he cried. "PUT US INTO HYPERSPACE!"

Mae quickly punched Coruscant into the navacomputer with one hand while trying fruitlessly to steady the ship with the other. The stars were becoming visible through the viewport - that meant they were out of the atmosphere, right? _Come on, set the coordinates already, dammit!_

"If you get us killed, I'm never speaking to you again!" Owen screamed.

"I just RESCUED you, didn't I?" Mae exclaimed as the ship lurched into another bounce. She tried turning to the right, then the left, but each turn made the ship shake even more instead of smoothing out the flight.

"I'm gonna be sick," moaned Owen.

Finally the navacomputer set the coordinates and Mae pulled the lever to send them into hyperspace, thrusting her back against her seat and letting her exhale for what felt like the first time in a while.

. . .

Owen fell asleep soon after they went into hyperspace, but Mae was wide awake. For a while she tried to find clues about the Revolutionaries' whereabouts, but as she guessed, the ship's log had been erased. What little she had seen of the planet didn't look familiar at all and she didn't know enough about hyperspace routes to know how far it was from Coruscant.

What was the purpose of all this? The Revolutionaries had done something to Owen, but what? And why did they send Chon to lure Mae there?

Chon. Mae's mouth felt sour at the thought of him. Who was he really? He seemed sincere when she talked to him, yet he had lured her into a trap, but then he let her escape. He appeared to truly believe in the Revolutionaries' ideals and almost seemed sad at times that Mae was part of the Jedi.

Mae sighed as she drummed her fingers on the control panel. It didn't really matter who Chon was. Right now she had bigger things to worry about, anyway.

Such as how she was going to explain all this to her parents.

. . .

By some miracle, Mae managed to land the ship without crashing it, though it did skid quite a bit on the landing platform. Once she was certain that the ship wasn't going to topple off the platform, she took a deep breath and commed her mother, though not without a bit of hesitance.

Rianna's hologram appeared, looking frazzled and sleep deprived. "Mae? What do you think you're doing?"

Mae gulped and gave her mother a small grin. "Uh . . . hi Mom."

"Don't 'hi Mom' me, young lady," said Rianna. "I got your _message."_

Mae tried to make her grin wider. "Okay, okay, I disobeyed you, I did something dangerous, but look, I need you to come pick me and Owen up."

"OWEN?"

Owen leaned over to where Rianna could see him and waved at her. "Hi Mom."

. . .

When Rianna arrived at the landing platform, she smothered her son in hugs and kisses as if he were five years old, but the trip home was strangely quiet. Mae could feel her mother's anger hovering over her - something she would feel even if she wasn't Force-sensitive - but she lacked the courage to try talking right now.

Upon returning to the Skywalkers' apartment, the three found themselves gathered up in a group hug by Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. A knot formed in Mae's stomach as her father squeezed her and Chewie squeezed both of them. Suddenly she was tired. Suddenly she felt like crying. Suddenly all sorts of uneasy emotions were swelling within her.

Once the family gradually released each other, Owen burst into tears, immediately stimulating his parents to pick him up and squeeze him between them.

"It's all right, honey," Luke whispered,"it's all right."

"It was horrible," Owen sobbed. "They strapped me to a bed and . . . and _did stuff_ to me."

Rianna ran her fingers through his hair. "You're safe now, sweetie, don't worry, you're safe."

Meanwhile Mae took a deep breath. "So . . . am I grounded?"

"Course you ain't grounded," Han said before Luke and Rianna could speak.

Rianna glared at her brother-in-law. "Are _you_ one of her parents, Han?"

Han shifted his weight from one foot to another. "C'mon, you ain't gonna _ground _her when she got Owen back, are ya?"

Luke said, "Of course not," while Rianna said, "Yes we are" at the same time.

_"Luke!"_ Rianna exclaimed, still squeezing Owen, who was resting his head on her shoulder.

"She _shouldn't _be grounded!" said Jaina. "That's ridiculous!"

"But she _still_ disobeyed and put herself in danger," said Leia.

Chewie roared in agreement.

Owen gave a hard sob. "P-please . . . don't fight."

With that, Luke turned his attention back to Owen, though Rianna still glared at her daughter, giving her a look that clearly said, "Don't think you've gotten away so easily - we'll be talking about this later."

"Can we all sleep together tonight?" Owen asked.

"Of course," said Luke.

"We'll stay with you too," said Leia.

. . .

On the living room floor, the Skywalkers, the Solos, and Chewie lay on makeshift beds made out of layers of blankets. Given how stressful the night had been, it was easy for everyone to fall asleep - except for Mae. She lay with the covers pulled up to her neck, trying to let her uncle's snoring lull her to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes she saw the dark tunnels of the Revolutionaries' hideout, the leader with her veiled face, Chon trying to manipulate her.

She had told her parents everything she found out about the Revolutionaries and their leader, but that wasn't much. The leader was a humanoid female and their hideout - if that was actually their hideout - was on a planet that had at least one area where it could be foggy at times, which only eliminated planets with extreme climates like Tatooine and Hoth. They would probably relocate after bringing Mae and Owen there anyway.

The Force still refused to calm her as she shook under the blankets. Her ears were tensed up as if waiting for Chon to comm again. The deep, stomach-enlarging breaths her father had taught her did nothing except make her dizzy. She had to keep turning around just to make sure Owen was still there. A silent voice seem to be talking to her, telling her that this was only the beginning, that more horror was still to come.

. . .

Back at the Revolutionaries' hideout, Chon, Lee, and the leader were gathered around in the holocron room, discussing the day's events.

"The Skywalkers escaping shouldn't be seen as a failure," said the leader in her low voice as she stared up at the holocrons through her veil. "We have the boy's blood and the results of his examinations. The next phase can begin."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: I HOPE the next episode will be started soon, but I can't make any promises. The next episode will feature the return of an old friend, so keep checking.


End file.
